Written Answers Wednesday 23 November 2005

Scottish Executive

Asylum Seekers

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any communications from Disclosure Scotland during the last year in respect of disclosure certificates for Home Office officials working in Scotland.

Robert Brown: The Executive has received no communication from Disclosure Scotland about disclosure certificates for Home Office officials during the last year. Disclosure Scotland would not normally be expected to inform the Scottish Executive about checks it carries out.

Asylum Seekers

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has communicated with the Home Office in respect of a legal requirement to have Disclosure Scotland certificates for Home Office officials directly involved in the deportation of children of asylum seekers and, if so, when it last did so.

Robert Brown: The Executive has not communicated with the Home Office about disclosure certificates for officials involved in the removal of asylum seekers. It is for the Home Office, as the employer, to decide whether disclosure checks are required.

Care of Elderly People

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take against local authorities, such as Renfrewshire Council, who continue to charge for the preparation of meals, in contravention of the standards set out in the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002, the Executive’s own guidance and the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform’s position, as stated in the Parliament on 10 November 2005 ( Official Report , c. 20602).

Lewis Macdonald: We are presently discussing with COSLA the question of charging for assistance with the preparation of food as set out in the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002.

Care of Elderly People

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be allocated for free personal and nursing care in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09.

Lewis Macdonald: £162 million will be provided for year 2006-07 and £169 million for year 2007-08. Funding for year 2008-09 has not yet been set.

Concessionary Travel

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership is of (a) the Implementation Progress Group and (b) each of the task groups established in respect of the implementation of a concessionary travel scheme in April 2006.

Tavish Scott: The information requested is provided in the following tables.

  Membership of National Concessionary Travel Implementation Progress Group

  

Group
Member
Position
Organisation


Implementation Progress Group 
Jamie Ross (Chair) 
Head of Transport 2 Division 
Scottish Executive


Tom Macdonald
National Concessionary Travel Project Sponsor 
Scottish Executive 


Debbie Sheldon 
National Concessionary Travel Project Manager 
Scottish Executive


Stuart Forrest
Transport Lead on Entitlement Card Project 
Scottish Executive


Jonathan Moore
Head of Shared Services and Funds Team 
Scottish Executive


Jonathan Young
Transport Application Project Manager 
Scottish Executive


Jaki Lowe
National Transport Agency Team, HR Workstream Manager 
Scottish Executive 


Jeremy Meal 
Director Smart Card and Ticketing Strategies 
MVA Consultancy



  Membership of National Concessionary Travel Task Groups

  

Group
Member
Organisation
Representing


Concessionary Product 
  Administration 
Ian Robinson (Chair) 
MVA Consultancy 
MVA Consultancy 


Anne Cowan
Fife Council
Association of TransportCo-ordinating Officers (ATCO) 


George Connell 
Stagecoach West 
Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) 


Debbie Sheldon 
Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive


John Finlay
Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) 
SPT


Eligibility 
Debbie Sheldon (Chair) 
Scottish Executive 
Scottish Executive 


Anne Cowan
Fife Council 
ATCO


David Taylor
Clackmannanshire and Stirling Councils 
ATCO


Bill Campbell 
Lothian Buses
CPT


Steve Ryan (Reserve)
Lothian Buses
CPT


Changing Representation 
Various
Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland


John Finlay 
SPT
SPT


Migration 
Colin Douglas (Chair) 
Dumfries and Galloway Council 
ATCO


Douglas Kirkpatrick 
Dumfries and Galloway Council 
ATCO


Jim Lee 
Travel Dundee
CPT


Marjory Rodger (Reserve)
CPT
CPT


Debbie Sheldon 
Scottish Executive 
Scottish Executive 


Anne Gibson
SPT
SPT


Operator Participation
Marjory Rodger (Chair) 
CPT
CPT


Trond Haugen 
Fife Council 
ATCO 


David Summers
Highland Council 
ATCO


Bob Edwards (Reserve)
Highland Council
ATCO


John Elliot
 Traveline Scotland 
CPT


Robert Andrew (Reserve) 
Stagecoach Scotland 
CPT


Tom Macdonald
Scottish Executive 
Scottish Executive 


Allan McFadyen 
SPT
SPT


Operator Processes 
Debbie Sheldon (Chair) 
Scottish Executive 
Scottish Executive 


Neil Gellatly 
Dundee City Council
ATCO 


Lesley Millar (Reserve) 
Angus Council
ATCO


Paul Coupar
First Group
CPT


Neil Renilson
Lothian Buses
CPT


Steve Ryan (Reserve)
Lothian Buses 
CPT


Ian Robinson 
MVA Consultancy 
MVA Consultancy 


Ian Nyguist
SPT
SPT


Reimbursement 
Robert Andrew (Chair) 
Stagecoach Scotland 
CPT


Lesley Millar 
Angus Council 
ATCO


Neil Gellatly (Reserve)
Dundee City Council 
ATCO


Eric Stewart 
First Glasgow 
CPT


Brian Juffs (Reserve)
First Edinburgh
CPT


Jeremy Meal 
MVA Consultancy 
MVA Consultancy 


Stuart Forrest 
Scottish Executive 
Scottish Executive 


Anne Gibson 
SPT
SPT


Verification
Anne Gibson (Chair) 
SPT
SPT


David Brown 
Clackmannanshire and Stirling Councils 
ATCO


Trond Haugen (Reserve) 
Fife Council
ATCO


George Mair 
First Aberdeen 
CPT


Ian Robinson 
MVA Consultancy 
MVA Consultancy 


Stuart Forrest 
Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive

Concessionary Travel

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the consultation on the Scotland-wide free bus scheme for older and disabled people has been completed.

Tavish Scott: No. The closing date for consultation responses is Monday 5 December 2005.

Concordats

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on any policy or decision as referred to in paragraph 14 of Concordat between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Scottish Executive, 2003.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is in frequent contact with the office of the Deputy Prime Minister on a wide range of issues of the kind referred to in paragraph 14 of the Concordat.

Education

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it provides in respect of the needs of pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and on the criteria for referring such pupils for placement in special schools outwith mainstream education.

Robert Brown: The Executive has issued Supporting Children’s Learning , the Code of Practice on the application of the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004, and separate guidance on the application of Section 15 (the presumption of mainstream education) of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000. These provide guidance in respect of provision for pupils with additional support needs, including those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and on the criteria for referring such pupils for placement in special schools outwith mainstream education.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20593 on 21 November 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to advertise, or has given any consideration to advertising, the Fresh Talent initiative, or any other scheme designed to attract visitors, workers or investment into Scotland, on BBC World and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Mr Tom McCabe: We have no current plans to advertise the Fresh Talent initiative on BBC World. However, as we take forward our activity to promote the initiative, we will consider all appropriate communication channels, including BBC World.

Gaelic

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in which ways it has encouraged the development of bilingual English and Gaelic signs where appropriate throughout Scotland, as recommended in the report on first impressions of Scotland and endorsed by the Executive in its review of that report.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive is committed to a sustainable future for Gaelic in Scotland. In support of this the Scottish Executive has taken the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 through the Scottish Parliament and directs significant support towards Gaelic development, with particular focus on education, arts and broadcasting.

  The Scottish Executive also recognises that the visibility of the language in Scotland is important for the confidence of Gaelic speakers and learners and seeks to support this where appropriate.

  To date, Highland Council are the only council to have applied, and been granted, authorisation for the erection of bilingual English/Gaelic directional road signs on local roads in their council area. A request for authorisation of bilingual English/Gaelic directional road signs on local roads in the Argyll and Bute Council area, to the same format as had been agreed for local roads in the Highland Council area has been made and agreed to. Additionally, there’s is a rolling programme to introduce bilingual English/Gaelic directional road signs on trunk roads to the west of the A9.

  As part of the Scottish Executive’s International Image Initiative, international entry points have been dressed and regard to the Gaelic language will be undertaken as part of this programme. It is proposed that the point of entry campaign will be implemented on a rolling annual basis. At present, activity is limited to Scotland’s airports. Existing materials are in English; however it is proposed that activity in Highlands and Islands, i.e. Inverness Airport will be updated with dual language activity in order to reflect existing street signage arrangements.

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who represents its Health Department at meetings of the Stakeholder Advisory Group ELF EMF; how many meetings there have been; how many meetings have been attended by its representatives, and what issues were discussed at each of the meetings.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is represented on the Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields by a senior scientific adviser from the Scottish Executive Health Department. The group has met twice, November 2004 and July 2005. The Scottish Executive representative has attended one meeting and will attend the next meeting to be held in December 2005.

  A wide range of issues have been discussed at the main group meeting and the meetings of the two established sub-groups Electrical Equipment and Installations Working Group and the Power Lines and Property Working Group.

Health

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Health and Community Care will report to the Parliament on the outcome of the deliberations of the Stakeholder Advisory Group ELF EMF.

Lewis Macdonald: At present, the work of the Stakeholder Advisory Group Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields (SAGE) is being progressed by two working groups, the Electrical Equipment and Installations Working Group and the Power Lines and Property Working Group. There is no firm timetable for reporting but it is expected that the two current working groups will make recommendations to the main group early in 2006. The subsequent recommendation of the main SAGE Group will then be made available through the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

  Two new working groups on issues related to the lower voltage elements of the external electricity distribution system and on railways and other issues will then be established.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information is given in the following table:

  Deaths in Scotland where Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease1 was the Underlying Cause

  

 
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


Scotland
2,941
2,825
2,836
2,840
3,014
2,752


Aberdeen City
117
105
110
103
115
105


Aberdeenshire
89
69
86
83
81
72


Angus
77
60
54
61
59
68


Argyll and Bute
45
42
53
46
56
61


Clackmannanshire
21
28
22
27
24
28


Dumfries and Galloway
94
104
94
91
106
107


Dundee City
115
119
99
107
118
96


East Ayrshire
79
71
86
90
92
67


East Dunbartonshire
51
49
35
40
41
42


East Lothian
52
46
46
55
59
47


East Renfrewshire
32
36
31
43
30
24


Edinburgh, City of
231
225
202
206
240
214


Eilean Siar
10
14
7
12
8
12


Falkirk
75
96
74
88
94
82


Fife
171
196
195
203
205
190


Glasgow City
518
445
463
438
490
406


Highland
91
76
111
101
95
114


Inverclyde
56
55
42
62
70
44


Midlothian
43
41
49
50
77
55


Moray
31
36
28
36
34
32


North Ayrshire
79
83
93
69
91
66


North Lanarkshire
180
159
178
183
178
192


Orkney Islands
4
6
6
9
5
4


Perth and Kinross
88
73
75
68
73
75


Renfrewshire
106
90
91
91
88
96


Scottish Borders
48
56
68
60
82
64


Shetland Islands
7
5
8
9
8
11


South Ayrshire
66
72
72
62
58
66


South Lanarkshire
179
160
170
153
146
163


Stirling
43
45
46
40
38
36


West Dunbartonshire
71
80
61
63
66
49


West Lothian
72
83
81
91
87
64



  Source: General Register Office for Scotland.

  Notes: 1. 1999 data: ICD9 codes 490-492, 496, 2000 data: ICD10 codes J40-J44.

Health Promotion

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what each NHS board’s annual budget has been since 1999 for the promotion of grassroots sports or the involvement of youngsters in a healthy lifestyle through sports participation.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) recorded cases of, (b) prosecutions for and (c) convictions for (i) fire-raising and (ii) vandalism there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by (1) police force and (2) local authority area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the tables. The court proceedings statistics for 2004-05 are scheduled for publication in March 2006.

  The statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable. A person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. Also a crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year.

  Crimes and offences involving persons aged under 16 are generally referred to the Reporter to the Children’s Hearings System, while large numbers of speeding and other motoring offences are dealt with through police conditional offers of fixed penalties (231,000 in 2003) or the vehicle defect rectification scheme. Around a third of all reports received by the Procurator Fiscal result in some outcome other than prosecution, such as fiscal fines, warnings or a decision to take no proceedings.

  Selected Crimes and Offences Recorded by the Police, by Police Force Area, 2000-041

  

Police Force Area
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


 
Fire-Raising


Central
100
122
145
227
215


Dumfries and Galloway
63
63
77
145
109


Fife
134
216
230
329
428


Grampian
284
358
429
478
510


Lothian and Borders
506
466
690
603
686


Northern
80
132
172
142
152


Strathclyde
956
1,142
1,590
1,787
2,286


Tayside
241
275
291
292
320


Scotland
2,364
2,774
3,624
4,003
4,706


 
Vandalism etc


Central
3,158
3,160
3,387
4,472
5,431


Dumfries and Galloway
1,800
2,143
2,837
3,292
3,480


Fife
5,961
7,004
6,993
8,566
10,793


Grampian
8,731
8,616
7,512
8,202
10,837


Lothian and Borders
15,195
15,829
17,098
17,600
20,933


Northern
3,562
3,668
3,514
3,946
4,980


Strathclyde
35,583
44,061
42,485
42,033
55,553


Tayside
6,838
7,669
8,020
7,922
8,089


Scotland
80,828
92,150
91,846
96,033
120,096



  Selected Crimes and Offences Recorded by the Police, by Local Authority area, 2000-041

  

Local Authority Area
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


 
Fire-Raising


Aberdeen City
117
166
225
225
258


Aberdeenshire
107
115
142
154
171


Angus
62
64
89
55
48


Argyll and Bute
19
28
27
43
66


Clackmannanshire
22
19
21
43
34


Dumfries and Galloway
63
63
77
145
109


Dundee City
143
147
136
193
205


East Ayrshire
42
61
66
71
99


East Dunbartonshire
33
25
40
33
58


East Lothian
41
48
54
55
86


East Renfrewshire
21
23
20
44
73


Edinburgh, City of
296
250
352
268
294


Eilean Siar
1
2
11
6
10


Falkirk
49
82
88
121
139


Fife
134
216
230
329
428


Glasgow City
388
449
573
613
739


Highland
70
118
154
131
128


Inverclyde
43
59
91
124
165


Midlothian
30
33
47
56
96


Moray
60
77
62
99
81


North Ayrshire
56
58
71
80
102


North Lanarkshire
114
155
211
252
335


Orkney Islands
2
4
2
2
4


Perth and Kinross
36
64
66
44
67


Renfrewshire
98
106
104
129
181


Scottish Borders
33
55
72
63
66


Shetland Islands
7
8
5
3
10


South Ayrshire
26
37
41
52
65


South Lanarkshire
55
74
219
199
258


Stirling
29
21
36
63
42


West Dunbartonshire
61
67
127
147
145


West Lothian
106
80
165
161
144


Scotland
2,364
2,774
3,624
4,003
4,706


 
Vandalism etc


Aberdeen City
4,422
4,410
4,013
4,269
5,437


Aberdeenshire
3,142
2,913
2,367
2,725
3,568


Angus
1,872
2,060
2,061
2,065
2,011


Argyll and Bute
796
946
881
1,202
1,748


Clackmannanshire
743
822
778
800
1,000


Dumfries and Galloway
1,800
2,143
2,837
3,292
3,480


Dundee City
3,264
3,588
3,831
3,780
3,794


East Ayrshire
1,527
2,049
2,016
1,739
2,666


East Dunbartonshire
1,183
1,137
984
1,214
1,846


East Lothian
884
994
1,071
1,097
1,914


East Renfrewshire
607
775
870
1,011
1,632


Edinburgh, City of
9,596
9,747
9,980
10,204
10,558


Eilean Siar
180
170
167
227
278


Falkirk
1,687
1,609
1,699
2,483
2,985


Fife
5,961
7,004
6,993
8,566
10,793


Glasgow City
13,644
16,116
15,755
15,086
17,874


Highland
3,083
3,111
3,010
3,288
4,089


Inverclyde
1,167
1,641
1,664
1,903
2,103


Midlothian
1,174
1,036
1,085
1,435
2,266


Moray
1,167
1,293
1,132
1,208
1,832


North Ayrshire
1,739
2,539
2,650
2,427
3,729


North Lanarkshire
4,771
6,329
5,220
5,167
7,435


Orkney Islands
133
129
139
185
317


Perth and Kinross
1,702
2,021
2,128
2,077
2,284


Renfrewshire
3,272
3,879
3,309
3,277
3,964


Scottish Borders
1,234
1,495
1,639
1,693
1,991


Shetland Islands
166
258
198
246
296


South Ayrshire
1,271
1,952
1,854
1,677
2,454


South Lanarkshire
4,086
4,656
5,085
5,011
7,114


Stirling
728
729
910
1,189
1,446


West Dunbartonshire
1,520
2,042
2,197
2,319
2,988


West Lothian
2,307
2,557
3,323
3,171
4,204


Scotland
80,828
92,150
91,846
96,033
120,096



  Persons Proceeded Against2 in Scottish Courts for Selected Crimes and Offences3, by Police Force Area, 2000-03

  

Police Force Area
2000
2001
2002
20035


 
Fire-Raising


Central 
6
11
14
22


Dumfries and Galloway
3
9
5
5


Fife 
18
14
18
25


Grampian 
10
18
16
22


Lothian and Borders 
19
16
24
31


Northern 
5
8
11
18


Strathclyde 
60
64
52
50


Tayside 
13
13
17
18


Scotland4
134
153
157
191


 
Vandalism etc


Central 
317
332
377
414


Dumfries and Galloway
193
122
171
207


Fife 
321
357
279
340


Grampian 
442
477
448
459


Lothian and Borders 
605
613
651
558


Northern 
280
294
314
426


Strathclyde 
1,916
1,932
1,733
1,902


Tayside 
557
503
470
529


Scotland4
4,631
4,630
4,443
4,835



  Persons Proceeded Against2 in Scottish Courts for Selected Crimes and Offences3, by Approximate Local Authority Area6, 2000-03

  

Local Authority Area
2000
2001
2002
20035


 
Fire-Raising


Aberdeen City 
3
3
9
12


Aberdeenshire 
1
7
2
3


Angus 
1
6
6
7


Argyll and Bute 
-
1
-
3


Clackmannanshire 
2
2
2
4


Dumfries and Galloway
3
8
5
5


Dundee City 
10
5
8
8


East Ayrshire 
5
8
7
6


East Lothian 
-
2
1
1


Edinburgh, City of 
11
7
13
18


Eilean Siar 
-
-
1
-


Falkirk 
4
5
8
12


Fife 
18
13
18
25


Glasgow City 
19
19
18
17


Highland 
4
8
9
17


Inverclyde 
1
5
3
1


Moray 
6
4
5
5


North Lanarkshire 
4
2
6
4


Orkney Islands 
1
-
-
1


Perth and Kinross 
1
-
3
3


Renfrewshire 
7
6
3
5


Scottish Borders 
1
5
3
1


Shetland Islands 
-
-
1
-


South Ayrshire 
5
4
2
5


South Lanarkshire 
9
14
8
6


Stirling 
-
4
4
6


West Dunbartonshire
5
1
2
1


West Lothian 
6
1
2
11


Other7
7
13
8
4


Scotland4
134
153
157
191


 
Vandalism etc


Aberdeen City 
202
237
209
226


Aberdeenshire 
151
143
156
120


Angus 
156
143
138
187


Argyll and Bute 
80
74
80
104


Clackmannanshire 
62
76
62
77


Dumfries and Galloway
193
122
171
207


Dundee City 
253
217
194
212


East Ayrshire 
180
188
178
209


East Dunbartonshire
19
16
11
23


East Lothian 
51
58
75
59


East Renfrewshire 
8
8
21
29


Edinburgh, City of 
320
289
304
272


Eilean Siar 
14
20
11
14


Falkirk 
155
164
200
207


Fife 
321
357
279
340


Glasgow City 
550
564
496
547


Highland 
236
243
270
361


Inverclyde 
66
77
54
71


Midlothian 
29
40
37
25


Moray 
88
96
82
112


North Ayrshire 
69
59
76
87


North Lanarkshire 
241
266
187
154


Orkney Islands 
16
19
12
21


Perth and Kinross 
146
142
138
128


Renfrewshire 
118
148
115
128


Scottish Borders 
81
105
130
120


Shetland Islands 
14
12
19
26


South Ayrshire 
178
160
158
184


South Lanarkshire 
292
269
267
279


Stirling 
97
91
115
130


West Dunbartonshire
115
99
88
85


West Lothian 
122
121
104
81


Other7
7
6
4
6


Scotland4
4,631
4,630
4,443
4,835



  Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Selected Crimes and Offences3, by Police Force Area, 2000-03

  

Police Force Area
2000
2001
2002
20035


 
Fire-Raising


Central 
4
9
12
18


Dumfries and Galloway
2
6
4
4


Fife 
13
14
15
20


Grampian 
9
12
10
17


Lothian and Borders 
15
16
22
29


Northern 
5
8
8
16


Strathclyde 
44
46
48
47


Tayside 
11
9
16
15


Scotland
103
120
135
166


 
Vandalism etc


Central 
284
290
336
372


Dumfries and Galloway
159
105
155
189


Fife 
292
322
250
301


Grampian 
405
447
415
421


Lothian and Borders 
558
560
587
495


Northern 
257
276
281
392


Strathclyde 
1,458
1,481
1,566
1,702


Tayside 
433
416
405
467


Total
3,846
3,897
3,995
4,339



  Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Selected Crimes and Offences3, by Approximate Local Authority Area6, 2000-03

  

Local Authority Area
2000
2001
2002
20035


 
Fire-Raising


Aberdeen City 
3
3
6
9


Aberdeenshire 
1
1
1
2


Angus 
1
4
5
7


Argyll and Bute 
-
1
-
2


Clackmannanshire 
2
1
2
3


Dumfries and Galloway
2
6
4
4


Dundee City 
8
4
8
6


East Ayrshire 
5
6
7
5


East Lothian 
-
2
1
1


Edinburgh, City of 
7
7
12
17


Eilean Siar 
-
-
1
-


Falkirk 
2
5
6
10


Fife 
13
13
15
20


Glasgow City 
15
15
18
17


Highland 
4
8
6
15


Inverclyde 
1
2
3
1


Moray 
5
4
3
4


North Lanarkshire 
3
1
4
4


Orkney Islands 
1
-
-
1


Perth and Kinross 
1
-
3
2


Renfrewshire 
2
5
3
5


Scottish Borders 
1
5
3
1


Shetland Islands 
-
-
1
-


South Ayrshire 
5
3
2
5


South Lanarkshire 
4
8
8
6


Stirling 
-
3
4
5


West Dunbartonshire
4
1
1
-


West Lothian 
6
1
2
10


Other7
7
11
6
4


Scotland4
103
120
135
166


 
Vandalism etc


Aberdeen City 
183
218
191
201


Aberdeenshire 
143
140
145
114


Angus 
135
125
127
171


Argyll and Bute 
59
60
75
102


Clackmannanshire 
56
66
58
67


Dumfries and Galloway
159
105
155
189


Dundee City 
196
180
158
184


East Ayrshire 
146
158
162
200


East Dunbartonshire
17
15
11
23


East Lothian 
48
51
72
55


East Renfrewshire 
8
7
21
29


Edinburgh, City of 
296
261
261
232


Eilean Siar 
13
20
10
14


Falkirk 
134
145
181
195


Fife 
292
322
250
301


Glasgow City 
380
415
445
470


Highland 
215
226
241
330


Inverclyde 
57
57
48
64


Midlothian 
22
37
32
22


Moray 
78
88
78
105


North Ayrshire 
60
54
74
87


North Lanarkshire 
197
209
168
148


Orkney Islands 
15
18
11
21


Perth and Kinross 
102
110
120
110


Renfrewshire 
83
116
109
106


Scottish Borders 
79
101
125
112


Shetland Islands 
14
12
19
25


South Ayrshire 
151
127
147
169


South Lanarkshire 
218
188
227
242


Stirling 
91
78
97
110


West Dunbartonshire
82
72
77
60


West Lothian 
112
110
96
73


Other7
5
6
4
6


Scotland4
3,846
3,897
3,995
4,339



  Notes:

  1. Trends in the recorded crime figures between 2003 and 2004 have been affected by the introduction in April 2004 of the Scottish Crime Recording Standard. As anticipated, this increased the numbers of minor crimes recorded by the police, such as vandalism, petty assault, breach of the peace and minor thefts.

  2. Figures for persons proceeded against may be underestimates due to recording delays.

  3. Where main offence.

  4. Scotland totals for court proceedings statistics may contain a small number of cases where the police force area and/or local authority area are unknown.

  5. Includes estimated data.

  6. Incorporates an approximate mapping of sheriff courts into local authority areas. Some sheriff courts will deal with cases from more than one local authority area. Some local authority areas, including East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Midlothian and North Ayrshire, do not contain a sheriff court.

  7. Includes High Court cases and those where court location is not known.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence clinical guideline in respect of multiple sclerosis will be implemented in Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20517 on 21 November 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Pharmacists

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what remuneration system will be put in place for prescribing pharmacists and what total levels of remuneration are projected.

Mr Andy Kerr: Prescribing is considered as an integral part of the patient’s overall package of health care and is not remunerated separately. The same principle will apply to prescribing by pharmacists.

Pharmacists

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what strategies it will put in place to prevent pharmacists over-prescribing.

Lewis Macdonald: Pharmacists engaged in prescribing activity under the NHS will be subject to the same requirements for effective prescribing as other NHS prescribers such as general medical practitioners.

Pharmacists

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS boards have made bortezomib (Velcade) available to patients who have requested such treatment.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information on drug treatments given in hospitals is not available centrally. Data collected centrally relate to prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors. These data are not patient-specific.

  The Scottish Medicines Consortium has recommended that bortezomib is accepted for use within NHS Scotland for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma who have already received at least two therapies, have seen their disease progress on the last therapy and who are unresponsive to alternative licensed treatments for this stage of the disease.

  NHS boards should therefore ensure that bortezomib is made available according to clinical need.

Prison Service

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners have left custody and entered employment, education or training in each of the last five years, expressed also as a percentage of all released prisoners.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service does not collect this information.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in which of the months, April, May and June, Reliance’s monthly percentage of collections from any location has exceeded 5% of the total collections in the financial year 2005-06 to date.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not available. The total number of prisoner movements for each month is available on the SPS website at www.sps.gov.uk.

Procurement

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice and guidance has been provided to (a) local authorities and (b) its departments or agencies in relation to public procurement contracts.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive does not provide specific advice on public procurement contracts but gives advice and guidance on policy issues relating to public procurement contracts.

  Local authorities, who are responsible for their own procurement activities, receive advice and guidance on procurement policy by means of local authority procurement circulars issued by the Executive.

  The Executive uses a number of methods to convey and embed procurement policy and best practice to its departments and executive agencies, including the Scottish public finance manual, the procurement policy manual and the procurement toolkit.

Procurement

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice and guidance has been provided to NHS Scotland in relation to public procurement contracts.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive does not provide specific advice to NHSScotland on public procurement contracts but gives advice and guidance on policy issues relating to public procurement contracts.

  NHS boards are responsible for their own procurement activities locally, with Scottish Healthcare Supplies (a division of NHS National Services Scotland) leading on national procurement activities.

  The Executive uses a number of methods to convey and embed procurement policy and best practice to NHSScotland including the Scottish Public Finance Manual, the Procurement Policy Manual and the procurement toolkit.

Ragwort

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many notices it has served requiring action to be taken to control the spread of ragwort and how many of these notices have been complied with to the satisfaction of its Environment and Rural Affairs Department in each of the last five years for which this information is available.

Ross Finnie: The number of notices served requiring action to be taken to control the spread of ragwort during the last five years is given below:

  

Year
2005
(to 9 November)
2004
2003
2002
2001


Number of notices
0
2
1
1
0



  Three of these notices were complied with to the satisfaction of the Environment and Rural Affairs Department. In one case, the Executive took control action itself and charged the occupier the relevant costs.

Road Safety

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking within its responsibilities to make motorcycling safer.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive is concerned about the number of motorcyclists injured in road accidents in Scotland and is committed to reducing casualties. Measures to improve motorcyclist safety involve a combination of engineering, enforcement and education.

  Research on Motorcycle Accidents and Casualties in Scotland 1992-2002, published by the Executive in 2004, found that between 1996 and 2002 the number of motorcyclists killed or seriously injured on Scotland’s roads increased at an average rate of nearly 9% per year. It also found that the majority of fatal and serious accidents occurred on higher speed single carriageway rural roads. Copies of the research are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 34279).

  Motorcyclist deaths and serious injuries in 2003 were 8% lower than in 2002, and provisional figures for 2004 show a further 8% reduction compared with 2003.

  The Executive has commissioned further research into risk taking behaviour and attitudes amongst motorcyclists. The objective is to inform action by Road Safety Scotland aimed at reducing motorcyclist casualties.

  The Executive is aware of concerns raised about motorcycling accidents on the A82, A84 and A85 trunk roads and is trialling non standard signs warning of unmarked police motorcycle patrols in conjunction with speed enforcement action by the police.

  The Executive also commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to undertake an investigation, which involved an experienced motorcyclist riding and videoing sections of these routes, to identify specific motorcycling hazards. TRL’s report was completed in June 2005 and the Scottish Executive’s Accident Investigation and Prevention Unit is currently reviewing the findings and recommendations and how they can be applied on the trunk road network.

Road Safety

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has allocated, or will allocate, to the Bikesafe initiative.

Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive has not allocated funding to the Bikesafe initiative and has no plans to do so.

  Bikesafe is run by police forces throughout Scotland. Individual chief constables are responsible for decisions on the allocation of resources for road policing objectives and it is for them to decide what resources to allocate to Bikesafe.

Road Safety

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of road traffic accidents resulting in injury or death involved motorcyclists in each year since 1999.

Tavish Scott: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the "STATS 19" statistical report form.

  The following table gives the percentage of injury road accidents which were identified in the "STATS 19" returns, resulting in injury or death, involving motorcyclists in each year since 1999. The figure for 2004 is provisional.

  

Year
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004


%
6.5
7.4
7.9
8.1
8.0
7.2

Road Safety

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland regarding the future of the Bikesafe initiative.

Tavish Scott: : The Scottish Executive has had no such discussions.

Road Safety

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the Bikesafe initiative has had on motorcycle deaths, casualties and accidents.

Tavish Scott: It is not possible to attribute definitely improvements in motorcycle deaths, casualties and accidents to any individual measure. Reductions are likely to reflect the impact of a range of road safety measures in addition to Bikesafe, such as road improvements and action to address riding with excessive speed.

Roads

Murray Tosh (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-9859 and S2W-11169 by Nicol Stephen on 17 September and 1 November 2004, whether it will publish a full, updated profile of major trunk roads works under way and planned.

Tavish Scott: I indicated in my reply to Fergus Ewing on 13 September 2005 (S2W-18471) that a summary of the progress and programme of major trunk road works will be published on the Scottish Executive website (under the section for Transport/Roads and Motorways/Trunk Roads Management and Maintenance) following the conclusion of each quarterly review meeting. The information from the review undertaken in September 2005 is now on the website which can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/05/TrunkRoads.

Scottish Executive Budget

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) proportion and (b) amount of its budget has been allocated to local authorities in each year since 1999 to enable local authorities to implement equal pay.

Mr Tom McCabe: A significant part of the funding allocated by the Scottish Executive to local authorities is through a block grant. Although the Executive provides funding for salaries and wages as part of this block grant, it is the responsibility of each authority as to how this money is allocated. The pay and conditions of local government staff are also matters for local authorities who have an obligation, like other employers, to ensure that they comply with all employment legislation. As a result, information on the amounts which authorities may allocate for equal pay is not held centrally.

Scottish Executive Budget

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will use contingency funds to enable local authorities to implement equal pay.

Mr Tom McCabe: The pay and conditions of local government staff are matters for local authorities who have an obligation, like other employers, to ensure that they comply with all employment legislation. In the current financial year, councils will receive a block grant from the Scottish Executive amounting to £8.1 billion (in addition to a number of other specific grants). The block grant is very largely unhypothecated and it is for councils themselves to determine how they spend this in line with local needs and priorities.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual advertising budget for health promotion and awareness schemes has been since 1999, showing the percentage share given to (a) grassroots sports organisations and (b) advertising agencies and media companies.

Mr Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer to question S1W-26485 on 3 July 2002 providing information on advertising spend by the Scottish Office/Scottish Executive Departments from 1991-92 to 2001-02.

  For information on the Scottish Executive’s advertising spend by Department and campaign for 2002-03 please see the answers to questions S2W-1857 on 5 September 2003 and S2W-2481 answered on 22 September 2003; for 2003-04 please see answer to question S2W-15204 on 12 April 2005.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  Information relating to the Scottish Executive advertising spend by Department and Campaign for 2004-2005 is held on the Scottish Executive website, please see attached link:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/media/17963/adspend05.

  The Marketing Unit of the Scottish Executive are responsible for contracts with advertising and media companies delivering public information campaigns on behalf of ministers’. We are not responsible for the promotion or development of any grassroots sports organisations.

Statistics

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the (a) European Commission and (b) UK Government to ensure that figures for Scotland in respect of devolved matters are shown separately in EU publications so that information published reflects accurately the United Kingdom’s constitutional arrangements and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive has not made formal representation to the European Commission or the UK Government to ensure that figures for Scotland, in respect of devolved matters, are shown separately for Scotland in EU publications.

  Most EU statistics publications report statistics for member states and, as such, figures are often presented for the UK and in most cases do not show Scotland figures separately.

  Where figures on devolved issues are required these are submitted to the UK government or European Union as appropriate.

Waste Disposal

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional investment will be required by water companies operating in Scotland to heat treat and pellatise all sewage sludge produced in Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: Processing and disposal of sewage sludge is an operational matter for those producing it. Investment costs of different treatment and disposal options are matters for them to consider.

Waste Disposal

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much sewage sludge is produced by water companies annually and what the current capacity is of landfill sites capable of containing sewage sludge.

Rhona Brankin: Exact information is not held centrally but it is estimated to be about 130,000 tonnes annually in Scotland. Whether landfill capacity would be available for sewage sludge, and how much, is a matter for the individual operators of landfill sites.

Waste Disposal

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the relative costs are of production and disposal of treated sewage in the form of (a) sludge and (b) dried pellets.

Rhona Brankin: Processing and disposal of sewage sludge is an operational matter for those producing it. Relative costs between different options for treatment and disposal of sewage sludge are matters for them to consider.

Wildlife

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available for research into squirrel pox virus disease.

The Executive have supplied the following corrected answer:

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has already made funding of £15,000 available through its Biodiversity Action Grants Scheme to Red Squirrel South Scotland (RSSS), together with an additional award of £10,000 for them to monitor the local populations of red squirrels in Dumfries and Galloway, and the Borders areas, and to examine and implement contingency measures to keep the squirrel pox virus out of Scotland.

  The Scottish Executive is considering the need for further funding into research for the prevention/containment of the squirrel pox virus should it enter Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland will be closely consulted in this process.

Young Offenders

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many juveniles have been imprisoned in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The word juvenile is not used within the Scottish Prison Service. However, in England and Wales a juvenile is defined as someone aged under 18. We have therefore assumed the same definition for the purposes of answering the question.

  The number of individuals aged under 18 who were held in a Scottish penal establishment in each financial year since 1999 is given in the following table:

  

1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


983
784
788
875
858
883

Young Offenders

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under 18 were convicted of (a) drug offences, (b) fraud and forgery, (c) theft of or from vehicles and (d) criminal damage in each year since 1999 and how many received a custodial sentence.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table. The court proceedings statistics for 2004-05 are scheduled for publication in March 2006. Offences alleged to have been committed by children aged under 16 years are generally dealt with through the Children’s Hearings System rather than the courts.

  Persons Aged Under 18 with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Selected Offences1, 1999-2003

  

Year of Sentence
Drug Offences
Fraud and Forgery
Theft of or from Motor Vehicles
Criminal Damage


 
Total
 
 
 


1999
272
48
559
650


2000
197
39
387
562


2001
242
42
387
590


2002
218
46
367
665


20032
285
36
402
814


 
Number Resulting in a Custodial Sentence


1999
16
2
129
32


2000
9
4
70
25


2001
8
2
72
31


2002
15
2
66
35


20032
11
-
73
50



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence.

  2. Includes estimated data.

Young Offenders

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the levels of reoffending by young offenders were in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03, (c) 2003-04 and (d) 2004-05.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in Table 12 of the statistical bulletin Reconvictions of offenders discharged from custody or given non-custodial sentences in 1999, Scotland published by the Scottish Executive in June 2005 a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 36857).

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Parliamentary Services

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will take steps to ensure that the distinctive Scottish-definitive stamps, the lion rampant (first class) and saltire (second class) are available to MSPs in book and self-adhesive format.

John Scott: Currently Royal Mail only produce non self-adhesive Scottish-definitive stamps in sheets of one hundred. They are sold in four different denominations; £0.21, £0.30, £0.42 and £0.68. MSPs have the option to request Scottish-definitive or self-adhesive British-definitive stamps when ordering through the Parliament post office or Parliament mailroom.